Suitcase



Patented Feb. 19, 1.924.

HENRY n. MINIGH, on ALMA, MICHIGAN.

SUITCASE.

Application filed December 30, 1921. Serial No. 525,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. MINICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Alma, in the county of Gratiot and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suitcases, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in suitcases, or the like, and an object of the invention is to provide an improved form of suitcase or travelling bag adapted to be conveniently carried by hand and to hold clothes and personal effects. In accordance with the'invention the suitcase is provided with compartments in one of which a series or plurality of slidab-le drawers are arranged which may be separately packed and inserted in the spaces provided therefor when packed. 'Another compartment or compartments of the suitcase, preferably spaced between each end of the central compartment in which the slidable drawers are arranged and the end walls of the suitcase, are provided and may be filled with articles which are left over after the drawers are filled or which may not conveniently be packed in the drawers, these compartments preferably being closed, when filled, by hingedly connected flaps, or the like. The suitcase is also provided with a front or cover member which is hingedly connected to the body portion of the suitcase so as to swing into open or closed position, in which latter position a closure of the device is effected.

Other objects of the invention relate to the provision of improved detailsof construction and combinations of elements all as will be more fully set forth in the accompanying specification and be particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

In order that a clearer understanding of the invention may be had attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and illustrating certain embodiments of the invention. In the drawings- Fig. 1 represents a perspective front view of one form of suitcase embodying the invention, the cover being swung open, and

Fig. 2' is a perspective front view of a modified form of device embodying the invention, the cover being closed.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the suitcase comprises a, container represented generally by the reference character 1, having a back portion indicated at 2, top and bottom-portions 3, 3, and end portions 4, 4. A front or cover member 5 ishingedly connected to container 1 along'or adjacent to the forward edge 6 of the bottom side3 of the container, cover member 5 being adapted to swing upwardly to close the suits case, in which position it may be locked by means of the us'ualor any convenient coacting locking means as indicatedv at 7, 7

The front cover member 5 is preferably provided with an edge flange 8 to lap over the edges of the top and end portions-of the container 1 when the cover is'closed, as is common. The parts of the'container 'described and the cover maybe formedof any suitable rigid material, such as leather, and the front cover member may be hingedly connected to the container in any usual or suitable way, as by providing the same with suitable hinges.

The container 1 is provided, as stated, w1th partitioning means whereby the same is divided into a plurality ofcompartments in one of which the slidable drawers are positioned. Preferably the partitioning means takes the form of a pair of partitions 9, 9, parallel tothe end portions 4, 4, of the container. By thismeans a pair of endcompartments 10, 10, are provided between the end portions 4, 4, of the suitcase and the partitions 9, 9, and a central compartment is provided between the partitions 9, 9, this central compartment preferably extending for a greater part of the length of the container and for the entire height of the container between the top and bottom 3, 3.

A plurality of slidable drawers 11 are provided to fit within the central compartment. These drawersmay be mounted ina superposed series one above the other and some of them may extend for the entire length of the compartment and some of them for a part only of the length of the compartment, as indicated in Fig. 1, in which it will be noted that the upper porti'on of the central compartment is occupied by a pair" of short slidable drawers 11 mounted side by side. All of these drawers may be slidably mounted on suitable guides formed on partitions 9 which I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate, or, if desired, they may simply be slidably mounted one upon another. a

In the form of invention illustrated in Fig. 1 the end compartments 10, 10', are

.of container 1 while the opposite edges of the flaps are adapted to be secured to the front edges of partitions 9 by suitable fas-' tening devices, such as the snap fasteners indicated at 14.

With this construction, when the suitcase rests on bottom side 3 as indicated, the front cover being swung open, the drawers may be slid out and suitably packed in any convenient location and then put back in place. The end compartments 10 may be packed while the suitcase is in any position, such as while the same is resting on its back side 2, after which the flaps 12 may be fastened to hold the articles therein securely in place. After the drawers 11 have been replaced cover 5 may be swung into closed position and locked.

The form of construction illustrated in Fig. 2 may be and preferably is the same as that described above, with the exception that the end compartments 10 are not provided with the front flaps 12 previously described but are provided with hinged flaps 12 in the upper side portion 30f the container. With this form of construction drawers 11 are adapted to be slidably mounted in the central space between the partitions 9 the same as in the form of the device previously described, and. the cover member 5 is adapted to cover the entire suitcase when closed the same as in the form previously described. The upper side 3, however, is provided with openings therethrough in alignment with the end compartments 10 of the container, these openings being adapted to be closed by means of the flaps 12 These latter may be hingedly connected as indicated at 13 to the suitcase at the edges of the openings in member 3 referred to, these flaps preferably being provided with locking means indicated at 15 which coact with locking means 16 on the top 30f the suitcaseso that the same may be securely locked. With this construction one or both of the flaps 12 may be opened after the cover 5 has been locked and the suitcase strapped in order to place therein an article which was previously not packed or to remove an article known to be in one of the end compartments.

In the form of construction last described the flaps 12 should be of a width less than the width of the top 3 by an amount equal to the width of the flange of the front cover 5 which extends over the top 3 when the cover is closed, as illustrated, so that the flaps 12 may be opened and closed when the to front cover is closed, without interference therewith. V

Various modifications of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the-art from the above .description. It should be understood that the invention is not limited strictly to the details of construction which have been particularly described but that the invention is as broad as is indicated by the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a suitcase, the combination of a con tainer comprising a back, bottom, and top and end portions, a rigid front closure member hingedly connected to the front edge of the bottom portion and adapted to be swung into open and closed positions, and locked in closed position, said container having partitions therein providing end com partments beyond the same extending uninterruptedly from top to bottom and a central compartment between the same, and a plurality of slidable drawers in said central compartment and completely occupying the same, adapted to be drawn out horizontally through the open front of said container when said front closure means is swung open and the suitcase rests on its bottom side.

2. In a suitcase, the combination of a container comprising a back, bottom and top and end portions, and a rigid front closure member hingedly connected thereto and adapted to be swung into open and closed positions, and locked in closed position, and to serve as the front side of the suitcase when closed, said container having partition means therein providing a plurality of compartments, a hinged flap adapted to close one of said compartments, only, and a plurality of slidable drawers in another of said compartments, adapted to be drawn out horizontally through the open front of said container when said front closure means is swung open and the suitcase rests on its bottom side. I

3. In a suitcase, the combination of a container comprising a back, bottom, and top and end portions, and a rigid front closure member hingedly connected thereto and adapted to be swung into open and closed positions, and locked in closed position, and to serve as the front side of the suitcase, said container having partitions therein providing end compartments beyond the same and a central compartment between the same, said end compartments having hinged flaps adapted to close the same, only, and a. plurality of slidable drawers in said central compartment, adapted to be drawn out horizontally through. the open. front of said container when said front closure means is swung open and the suitcase rests on its bottom side. i

4. In a suitcase, the combination of a container comprising a back, bottom and top and end portions, partitions therein providing end compartments and a central compartment, a plurality of superposed slidable drawers in said central compartment, adapted to be drawn out horizontally through the open front of said container when the suitcase rests on its bottom side, hinged flaps adapted to close said end compartments only, and a rigid front member hingedly connected to said container at one edge: thereof and adapted to be swung into open and closed positions, and locked in closed position, to entirely cover said drawers, and to serve as the front side of the suitcase.

5. In a suitcase, the combination of a container comprising a back, bottom and top and end portions, partitions therein providing end compartments and a central com" partment, a plurality of superposed slidable drawers in said central compartment, adapted to be drawn out horizontally through the open front of said container when the suitcase rests on its bottom side, flaps hingedly connected to the front edges of said end portions and adapted to be fastened to the front edges of said partitions, to cover said end compartments only, and a rigid front cover member hingedly connected at one edge to a front edge of said container, and adapted to be swung into open and closed positions, and to entirely cover the front of the suitcase when closed,

and to serve as the front side of the suit case.

Signed at Alma, in the county of Gratiot and State of Michigan this 27th day of December A. D. 1921.

HENRY D. MINICH. 

